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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: roll · pop · chip · net · squash · stock · march · ground

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. pop — to visit
  3. stock — shares
  4. ground — a position
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. squash — to crush
  7. roll — a cake
  8. pop — music
  9. net — for catching
  10. pop — soda
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. ground — crushed
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a list
  16. chip — for betting
  17. net — in sport
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. chip — to eat
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — the sport
  23. march — the month
  24. net — after costs

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com